For the second year, Google has decide to make a Google Developer Day in Milan. For me was the first time at a Google event and I found it really great.

I arrived at the Hotel got for the event (Nhow Hotel, Via Tortona 35 in Milan) at 9 o'clock in the morning, and there was a huge number of person waiting to get into hall. So I start with a little queue (about 15 minutes waiting for solve my registration) and hoping to enter. In fact I didn't make the registration for the event but I was there to substitute a colleague: no one has asked me any king of document that could prove that I'm the person I was saying to be! :) So really cool... for a day I wasn't me!! :)

Anyway... after registration where I choose my session (I got all sessions I decided to see... not bad ;)) I start "walking" on the hall, where there was a coffee break for a little breakfast, and looking for the programmers present to the event. As I imagined I met some person I knew! (the IT is a little world!! :P)
At 10 o'clock all people start moving in the "light blue room" to listen the little introduction from the Italian Marketing Manager (I can't remember the name but... was a woman!) and something about Google technologies listening Brian Fitzpatrick, a google software engineer. No news listing this presentation: the message send to all developer was "Google is the best!" ;)

App Engine (Kevin Gibbs)
Introduction to Google App Engine technology. Basically you can write your application (in different language) and "deploy" it on Google systems. You have only some limitations in your "free account" but Google can assure you that all applications are completely scalable: if you need more resources (application on cluster) google gives them to you. What you need to do, is just to write your code. You also have some API that help you to make some operations, for example imaging manipulation, and using this API you have an operation that, if it needs more cpu time, for example, it could has it!
Not bad!! Naturally the best thing is the possibility to test this technology for free!
I've tried to ask something about cluster management (if we can for example manage the http session synchronization) and the answer wans't a "NO" but something that was walking about "NO"! :)

Google Data API (Jochen Hartmann)
This session was really quiet. A panorama about Google Data API, written for many different languages, that you can use to make in communication your application with Google World! Picasa to get Photos, Google Maps, YouTube and all other things.
I've no idea on how I could use all these things... but now I know what can I do and how! :P

Geo (Nicola Ferioli)
Wow an Italian Talk!! I was exited just before the talk because, maybe (or surely) for the presence of an italian speaker, during exposition there were many questions (so many interruption of the talk) and at the end of the talk I didn't have time to talk with Nicola about geo. I hope I'll have time to talk with him in the future.
All of us have tried to use Google Earth and surely Google Maps, here the presentation was about the integration of these tools inside other Web Application. What you can do is really impressive. You can simply insert a map in your page and then add to this "image" a second layer with some markers to shown some point-of-interest on your map. Naturally generated map is the same you can use on google web site, so you can navigate it and change details and zoom levels.
If you "don't like" (or better you don't need) the Google Map, you can also change the "skin" you get from google with your own pictures. So what you get from google is only the engine to navigate your image and add over it some markers.

Same things could do using the newest Earth plugin: you can insert in you web page an "image" get from Earth and navigate it!

Intro to Android

Android was the most impressive talk I've seen to GDD. The real "presentation" of operating system was just about the main features offered by Android, what has gotten my attention was the "demo application" that speaker (unfortunately I can't remember the name) has realized using eclipse and android plugin. In 30 minutes, showing also all the features offered by eclipse android plugin, he has created a simple Java application that can read contacts from phone contacts list and show results to the user.
For a Java programmer is really simple to create a new application for the phone and, in my opinion, this will be the cool feature to get the market and move many users to this new phone (both Symbian users and iPhone users ;)).
Yesterday (22 Oct 2008) the first Google Phone (with HTC hardware) is sorted out in the US... We have just to wait to buy phone also here in europe! :)

Was a really cool events and I have to thanks my colleague Luca for the opportunity! ;)